The City of Johannesburg is confronting a severe and multi-faceted housing crisis, characterized by a massive backlog, the rampant mushrooming of informal settlements, and criminal elements profiting from illegal land invasions, according to a senior city official.
In a recent television interview, the City of Johannesburg’s Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Housing and Human Settlements, Mlungisi Mabaso, detailed the scale of the challenges facing the metropolitan area. He stated that the city’s housing backlog dates back to 1996 and encompasses a range of issues, from incomplete hostel redevelopments to a high demand for housing from the “gap market”—those who earn too much for a fully-subsidized RDP house but too little to qualify for a bonded home.
A primary concern highlighted by MMC Mabaso is the explosive growth of informal settlements. He revealed that the number of such settlements has skyrocketed from 182 in 2016 to 354 currently, with new invasions occurring just weeks ago threatening to push the total past 360.
“We are losing all our vacant spaces, spaces that are earmarked for development… we are losing them to invasions,” Mabaso stated.
The MMC attributed a significant portion of the problem to organized criminal activity, rather than solely to individuals seeking shelter. He reported that the city has evidence of people illegally selling and renting out stands on invaded land via social media.
“It’s pure criminality altogether,” Mabaso said. “There are people who are making money out of this process… they are taking advantage of the vulnerability of our system.”
He explained that the city’s ability to respond to these invasions is hampered by court judgments that complicate evictions, often requiring the city to provide alternative accommodation. This, combined with insufficient funding from national government, has left the city’s resources “very much overstretched.”
The department is compelled to provide interim services like water and sanitation to these new settlements, diverting already limited resources. Mabaso emphasized that the city is working with law enforcement agencies to try and arrest invasions as they occur, but the situation remains dire.
While acknowledging that some invaders are genuinely in need of housing, Mabaso pointed out that city audits often find a majority of residents in new informal settlements are not even on the official housing needs register.
The interview underscored the complex and deepening housing crisis in South Africa’s economic hub, where historical backlogs, rapid urban migration, and criminal opportunism are creating a perfect storm, challenging the city’s capacity to provide adequate and affordable housing for its residents.